Click here to play the Political Derby 2010 Mid-term Pick ‘em. Predict the outcome of 9 races and how many total seats the GOP will pick up. (Polls are closing and the deadline for entry has now passed).

Would anyone line up behind a Jon Huntsman (former Utah governor, current Ambassador to China) if he launched a presidential run? I recall when he served as governor the whispers were there, but when he took the Obama job, many believed that was a strong signal he had no desire.

SALT LAKE CITY — A presidential bid by former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. may be more likely than ever with the formation of a new political action committee by powerful supporters who want him in the race.

Huntsman, who stepped down as governor in August 2009 to become the U.S. ambassador to China, has also just bought a new $3.6 million home in Washington, D.C., even though he’s not expected to leave Beijing for at least another year.

In the spirit of fantasy football & all the pick ‘em sites (I’m still ahead of Jason, BTW), I thought it’d be fun to draw out some imaginative possibilities from the “potential pack of Presidential prospects” (say that 10x fast). Let’s see what intriguing presidential campaign matchups we can dream up…Read more

I have a question for the PD community. I have long thought and often heard that we want candidates who would hold to their convictions rather than vote according to the polls. It is a noble idea, and it works very well as long as your party is in power. However, when your party is not in power and an ideologue is running the country, it doesn’t seem as “noble”. We call them “Representatives” and we expect them to represent us. We essentially give them power to vote in our names.

Because they are voting in the names of their constituents, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to poll the people and vote as the majority wishes? It doesn’t sound as noble, but isn’t it actually the job? If this was done, then the people become accountable for the decisions being made in Congress. If it is government by the people and for the people, perhaps the job of our Representatives is to vote according to the wishes of the people. Our representatives are voting for their parties and for their special interests instead of for the people.

I think I will no longer frown upon voting according to the polls. And you?

America tends to be a center-right country. The latest Gallup out today puts it at 48% conservative, 32% moderate, and 20% liberal; four years ago it was 42-37-21%. But in what ways? I think it holds true in three key ways: fiscally conservative, socially centered (yet with a libertarian streak), and security centered (but with a strong presence on the right).

I decided to explore this more and ask the question of what this would look like graphically – thus the chart below. With it I tried to gauge and measure the tenor of each of the last five presidencies according to these three areas, and how they played out in their administrations (or campaigns).Read more

With all of the hot races for Congress and Senate, a few seem to be flying under the radar. One such race is for a Democratically held congressional seat in Idaho.

I know! A Democrat from Idaho!

Yes, Idaho is considered by some to be the “reddest” state in the Union; a title which most Idahoans are proud to wear. However, Walt Minnick, one of the few “Blue Dog” Democrats holds a seat in the First Congressional District.Read more

On another note, today I confirmed that Harry Reid’s book sales did not contribute to the $750,000 in cash he paid for his Washington DC Ritz-Carlton condominium. You know, that is the place where he doesn’t live, he only “stays” at in Washington, because, remember, being paid $193,400 per year, he knows what is best for the average smelly American, which is why he had played such a vital role in socializing our health care, extending the annual federal operating budget deficit to $1.3 trillion, and destroying our economy (remember when the “stimulus” package would never allow unemployment to exceed 8%?) . Harry Reid certainly does know something about “The Good Fight”, well, “The Fight,” anyway. This stack of books pictured below the jump was priced at only $1 each, covered in dust, and apparently couldn’t be marked down low enough! So the evidence appears conclusive that “The Good Fight” did not fund The Ritz for Harry Reid.

On my way to work this morning I heard a report of The One calling upon Latinos to “punish our enemies”. I found myself thinking that The One is getting very well acquainted with punishment – so much so that he’s beginning to look and act like an option quarterback playing in the second half of a very tough football game.

For those of you unfamiliar with the comparison, you need to understand a little bit about the triple option offensive scheme once popular among high school and college football teams. It is primarily a running offense which has three (or more) “options” to march the ball down the field. The Quarterback can hand the ball off to the Fullback, keep the ball and run himself, or pitch the ball to a Tailback. This is all fine and good in theory, but the offensive scheme can be very tough on the Quarterback because instead of being a passer (with all the protections that entails) he becomes just another running back.

Any decent defensive coach will, upon learning he’s up against an option offense, deliver the following charge to his defensive lineman: The Quarterback hits the ground on every play – no exceptions. Most Quarterbacks don’t like the option offense because it puts a target on them – and they get punished on every play. Hit a Quarterback often enough, and hard enough, and round about the middle of the third quarter he starts making bad decisions, second guessing his actions, and often hesitating because he knows no matter what happens, the 320 pound defensive end is going to plant him in the turf.Read more

Keep DreamingThe GOP hasn’t won yet … What it would take for the Dems to get re–fired up and score a big midterms upset.
Elaine Thompson / AP

Democrats have this fantasy that millions of voters, mostly the young and people of color who elected Barack Obama, will defy predictions and swarm the voting booths on Election Day. The reason most polls forecast disaster for the Democrats, according to this scenario, is that pollsters haven’t found a way to accurately tap into the millennial generation, which doesn’t have landlines, or Latinos because of the language barrier. So is it completely crazy to think that a hidden force is going to emerge to turn this election around?

Whenever conservatives comment on racial issues they’re immediately compared to the Grand Dragons of the Ku Klux Klan. Such an accusation would be laughable if it weren’t so egregious. In reality conservatives are the colorblind idealists. Since all that’s rightly promised to free people is an opportunity to use their talents for their own benefit, conservatives recognize that preferential treatment based on race or ethnicity are themselves discriminatory. Quotas aren’t necessary for success, nor are head starts required.

In reality, applying quota and preference programs to people of color is condescending. Racial quota systems promote the idea that minorities are inferior and needful of preferential treatment. Conservatives recognize the duplicitous fallacy in this argument. Therefore, under conservatism, people are evaluated on their merits, with financial compensation and cultural status reflecting each individual’s contribution to society.Read more

How do you tell the difference between the run of the mill political junkie and the high end hard core junkie? On the eve of a potentially transformational election, look for ones who are talking about a future election. You know who I’m talking about. “I can quit anytime.” Of course you can.

And what are they saying? No surprise to PoliticalDerby faithful, the current race is largely between Romney and Palin. Romney holds the advantage, but the race has hardly begun.

So has the Tea Party been a positve or negative for the Republicans?
Has it destroyed the party, or delivered it?
Has it improved it or deformed it, evidenced by some recent “electable-or-not” candidates coming from the primaries?

Peggy Noonan at WSJ writes that the Tea Party was nothing less than the savior of the Republican party. Without it, the R’s would have been left for dead politically, relegated to regional status and effectiveness.